He stated that all things in the universe were governed by an immutable law, the "Tao". He wrote a book named "Tao Te Jing", or the classic of the Tao, in which the Tao is represented as containing within itself "the quintessence of the truth of the universe".
In his philosophy he went beyond the Cartesian/Newtonian principles of cause and effect, and presented a clear interrelationship of events in the universe which were both their own cause and effect, i.e. moved in cyclical patterns rather than in straight (Newtonian) lines. This concept may be best presented by an adaptation of Einstein's E=MC2, where E is Qi, M are the 5 elements and C2 is the constant presented by the interaction of Yin and Yang. It must be clearly seen that the physiology of the human body does not comply with the Cartesian/Newtonian model, insomuch that the sodium ions outside the cell and the potassium ions inside the cell are kept in dynamic equilibrium, and do not follow the simple principles of cause and effect; if they did, we would die almost instantly.
The philosophy of Traditional Chinese Medicine does however follow the Second Law of Thermodynamics, namely the Law of Entropy which states that: "In a closed system there is a universal tendency toward entropy". Thus in the philosophy of Chinese Medicine a system which ceases to be part of a universal flow of energy due to an interruption in this flow of energy or some other cause, will develop entropy. The removal of such a blockage will re-establish stability of the system.
The Tao Te Jing.
Below are given excerpts from the Tao Te Jing together with their commentaries.
In the opening lines of the classic the Tao Te Jing, we are informed that,THE TAO
The Tao begets the One,
The One begets the two,
The two begets the three and
The three begets the ten thousand things.
All things are backed by the shade,
Faced by the light,
And harmonised by the immaterial breath.
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Jing. Chpt.42.
The Tao that can be told of is not the eternal Tao,For centuries philosophers, sages and seers have studied the Tao Te Jing using images, symbols and characters in an attempt to put into words concepts that defy words. Even today with the enlightenment of the past, we of the twenty-first century struggle with words that would make intelligible and would provide an insight into a way of being that is essentially non-being.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
Here then we attempt to tell that which cannot be told and attempt to name that which cannot be named.
The Tao is referred to as the Way. It is the path that one can and should follow, the only way and the origin of everything. The Tao is the natural universal law of all things.
Tao is the way - the way of life that is of the utmost simplicity; the way that is at one with the natural and spontaneous side of life. Tao in the ONE, the only way of being, of existence, of absolute realisation, of wholeness. The Tao is the eternal law that resides in the interaction between substance and function. It is "the great primal beginning of all that exists". (Wilhelm. tr.I Ching Pg.lv.1983). It represented by the Chinese character of the ridge-pole that points to the original meaning of "primal beginning". These concepts are central to the full appreciation of "the One begets the two".
From the primal beginning flows the essence of wholeness, the Yang and the Yin.
The early Chinese philosophers, in their efforts to discern and understand the concept of primal beginning, used "Wa-Qi" as the starting point of their contemplations. "Wa-Qi" means "that which precedes the primal" and is represented by the symbol of the circle. It was this concept, the pre-primal, that was then incorporated into the concept of the "primal beginning", represented by the character of the ridge-pole. Consequently the ridge-pole was called the "T'ai-Qi", because it divides the circle into two equal halves, that of darkness and of light - the Yang and the Yin.
Thus light and darkness are joined to one another by a line, the ridge-pole. Thus this simple line, the "T'ai-Qi" carries the symbolism of oneness; a oneness that is achieved by the union of Yin and Yang. The line itself represents oneness, but its very essence implies duality, because the line simultaneously suggests the existence of an above and a below, a left and a right and a front and a rear. The line or ridge-pole therefore reveals a cosmos of duality, that is a universal natural law of two opposing but equal forces that are always in a state of tension and maintain an eternal ebb and flow. It reveals the Two, the Yin and the Yang, the alternating but complementary primal states of being. Yin and Yang are the very essence of the natural cycles that manifest as complexes of phenomenon such as day and night, summer and winter; all these therefore are subject to the universal natural law, the Tao.
The elements of Yin and Yang, being of the essence of oneness, exist within each human being. "Yin exists within Yang"; "Yang exists within Yin". (Thie, 1987. Pg.17.) An imbalance of Yin and Yang in the human body is considered to be the cause of disharmony and disease. Additionally, the organs of the body are, like the cosmos, divided into two opposing but complementary camps of organs, the solid organs, or Zang organs, which are considered to be Yin in nature and the hollow or Fu organs, which are Yang in nature. The energy of the body flows between these two opposing poles of Yin and Yang along energy channels known as meridians. A meridian is either Yin or Yang, depending on the organ with which it is associated; additionally, if the body assumes a standing posture with the arms extended upwards, energy in the Yin meridians flows upwards to its opposite Yang pole which is "heaven", while energy in the Yang meridians flows downwards to its opposite Yin pole, which is the earth.
"Yang energy flows from the Sun and Yang meridians run from the fingers to the face to the feet. Yin energy, from the earth, flows from the feet to the torso and from the torso along the inside (Yin side) of the arms to the fingertips." (Thie. 1987.Pg.18.)
It is from the Yin and the Yang, the alternating complementary primal states of existence, that the world of being, "Qi", arises. The forces of Yin and Yang bring about a continuous but seamless transformation which changes energy from one polarity into another and thus generates a flow of vital energy and being, Qi. Thus "the two beget the three". Through the tension generated by its duality, this energy creates all forms in the universe, both living and non-living. Qi is therefore not only found in all things, it is everything, for all things are energy, and matter is merely congealed energy. In the human body Qi flows as energy along the meridians and thus provides the life force, which gives vitality and harmony to the body's overall functions. Qi, therefore, is the harmonising flow of life that is central to the optimum performance and thus the well-being of the human body.
In its purest form, Qi is light. The light brings to fullness the reality of matter, as light is the natural agent that brings all things to visibility; Qi also generates solid physical substances, because Qi is the essence of all that is. Qi, being the energy that flows as a result of the tension between the opposite qualities of the primal forces Yin and Yang, manifests as the Wu Hsing, the five stages of change or five elements: Fire, Earth, Water, Metal and Wood.
Each of the five elements is generated by a different level of tension between Yin and Yang. The result is that each element has its own particular characteristics or qualities. The elements Fire, Earth, Water, Metal and Wood reveal to us the natural universe as we see it and know it. These same five elements are also the essential elements that in combination make us what we are - human.
Each human being, indeed everything in this universe, has its own unique nature which results from its individual Yin and Yang tensions; this generates the individual character or essence of being that is one's "true Qi". Qi therefore does not only denote one's energy flow, it also denotes one's individual energy patterns, that manifest as the centredness with which one is endowed at one's origin.
"The three beget the ten thousand things" - The forces of Yin and Yang which generate the manifest energy Qi, under the universal law of the Tao, produce all that is, everything, the ten thousand things. The ten thousand things are myriad and have ten thousand forms, which all differ as none of them are exactly the same. In the final analysis however, the ten thousand things are one, as they are all Qi, all created by the forces of Yin and Yang and are all subject to the Tao. There is therefore a unity and harmony in the totality of being between the ten thousand things and thus between all existential matter.
"Carry the Yin and embrace the Yang and through the blending of the material force (Qi) achieve harmony" (Wang Pi. 1979 pg.128).
The Tao sets in motion and maintains the interplay of all forces, thus bringing about the harmony and oneness that is achieved through non-being.
"All things are backed by the shade, Faced by the light. And harmonised by the immaterial breath."
Qi is the "immaterial breath" which brings about the oneness of all things, as the essence of all things is the Yin and the Yang. The two primal powers Yin and Yang, which manifest in light and darkness, and through the firm and the yielding, are the two principal powers of nature. Yin and Yang are the two polar forces of the universe, the positive and the negative, which are in continuous and perpetual interplay of cyclic motion, and which generate through this motion their mutual state of tension, which in turn generates Qi. Being always in a state of tension keeps these powers in motion and creates the potential, which is the Qi, that achieves unity and harmony in all that exists.
The world is constantly being regenerated by the constant renewal of the state of tension between the polar forces, and ever coming to harmony and wholeness through the linking of forces that is provided by the immaterial breath of Qi.
Everything in life is subject to the universal law of the Tao. The primal powers of Yin and Yang perpetually interact to give rise to the Qi, which enables the cycle of becoming to continue without interruption. If one is sensitive to the influence of the Tao, which manifests as the purpose or direction within the energy of life, one is, by accepting and rejoicing in its depth and truth, able to live the mystery of life. One then becomes aware of the existence of the Tao in all of life, and thus able, through receptivity and openness, to live out the Tao which is within all things. (Bush, 1977. pg30.)
The Tao is life, and life is a mixture of being and non-being,
...for that is the original quality of life.
(Bush, 1977. pg. 28)
Lao Tzu reminds us still:
"People think the Tao is foolishness because it lacks
definition.
But the Tao lacks definition because it is infinite.
If the Tao could be defined it would be small and not
great."
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